Criminal Justice Course Offerings

Criminal Justice Course Offerings

You can view specific course offerings and descriptions in the current catalog (PDF document). Please keep in mind that these are representative of current offerings for the academic year. Classes can be added or changed as needed.

CJ 101 | Introduction to Criminal Justice3 semester hoursThis course is a review of the delivery of criminal justice services in the United States. Particular attention will be devoted to a modeling of the criminal process, the control of discretion within the various sub-processes, and the role of criminal justice in a democratic social order that emphasizes public accountability and the rule of law.

CJ 112 | Careers in Criminal Justice2 semester hoursThis course will help students explore vocational and post graduate choices in the criminal justice field. This course will cover such topics as career options for criminal justice students, unique requirements for criminal justice employment, and application processes for criminal justice careers and post-graduate education. This course will rely partly on experiential learning activities including guest speakers and field trips.No prerequisites.This course is pass or fail.

105CJ 154 | Criminal Justice Theory3 semester hoursThis course is the study of crime control. In contrast to traditional criminal justice courses which mainly focus on the study of how crime is defined and the strategies used by the criminal justice system to control crime, this course will examine various orientations that focus on how the criminal justice system behaves instead of how it works. This course will cover such topics as the behavior of law, the behavior of criminal justice organizations, historical trends in crime control, the social construction of crime, oppression, the growth of the criminal justice system, and consequences of crime control practices.

CJ 203 | Policing3 semester hoursThis course includes an examination of the role of police and law enforcement strategies in a free society. The goals of this course include an understanding of the concept of the rule of law, police behavior and subcultures, enforcement strategies, and relevant procedures dealing with the police, including arrest, interrogation, and search and seizure of evidence. Ethical issues related to the police and law enforcement will include case histories and current events.

CJ 228 | Juvenile Justice3 semester hoursThis course includes an examination of juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice process. The study includes an analysis of the evolution of parens patriae, and case law of the juvenile process from taking into custody through disposition.

CJ 244 Corrections3 semester hoursThis course is the study of the history, philosophy, and practice of corrections. The course will include an analysis of corrections history and philosophy along with an examination of jails, prisons, probation, intermediate sanctions, and parole. The course will also cover legal developments in corrections, correctional trends, management and treatment of correctional populations, and problem facing correctional systems.

CJ 246 | Criminal Investigation3 semester hoursThis course includes a survey of the theory of scientific crime detection, investigation, interrogation, case presentation, and problems in criminal investigation. The content will include a coverage of recent developments in forensic investigation such as DNA fingerprinting.

CJ 297 | Criminal Law: 3 semester hoursThis course includes an analysis of criminal law from a social science perspective. Emphasis will be upon historical development, strictures on criminalizing in light of constitutional guarantees, and a review of the classification of crimes through an analysis of selected criminal offenses. The content includes criminal jurisprudence, the historical origins of key criminal law concepts, constitutional structures on lawmakers, relevant social scientific research on the criminal process, and a review of the traditional categories of crime.

CJ 299 | Criminal Justice Information, Communication and Ethics3 semester hoursThis course is an opportunity for students to improve and apply critical thinking skills in the criminal justice context, establishing a foundation for upper-level coursework. The course requires students to refine writing, oral presentation, and information research skills. Students will become adept at finding, evaluating, and properly crediting research materials for the field of criminal justice. Likewise, students will demonstrate their learning through writing and oral presentation, which will be refined throughout the course. Special attention will also be given to ethical issues faced in criminal justice. For Criminal Justice majors, CJ 299 is a prerequisite for all 300 and 400 level criminal justice courses. All majors, including transfer students, must receive at least a grade of C- in this course before taking criminal justice courses at the 300 level or above. Prerequisite: Grade of at least a C- in core curriculum writing course.

CJ 302 | Criminal Justice Research Methods3 semester hoursThis course will consist of an examination of qualitative and quantitative research in the field of criminal justice. Specifically, the course will include, but is not limited to research design, data collection, secondary data analysis, levels of measurement, and hypothesis testing. Students will also learn how to read and interpret empirical criminal justice articles and SPSS output. Prerequisites: CJ 154 and CJ 299. A course in basic statistics is also suggested, but not required.

CJ 305 | White-Collar Crime3 semester hoursThis course is a general survey reviewing both the nature and scope of white-color crime. This course will explore crimes upon which society has placed little focus, yet at the same time have significant physical, fiscal, and social costs. The primary emphasis of this class will consist of an examination of various forms of the “elite deviance.” Forms of elite deviance that will be covered will consist of corporate crime, occupational crime, governmental 106crime, and political crime. Particular attention will be given to research methodology in empirically examining elite deviance . Particular attention will also be given to applicable theories of elite deviance.

CJ 340 | Crime and Punishment in England, 1550-18753 semester hoursThis course explores crime, policing, and punishment in England, 1550-1865. Major topics include the use of public shame, professionalization of police, obstacles to prosecution, and the evolving use of prisons. Changes in penal culture are studied in relation to England’s transformation from a rural kingdom into an urbanized and industrial center.

CJ 350 | Trial Evidence3 semester hoursThis course is a study of the law governing the presentation of evidence at trial. Focus will be upon the various types of evidence, questions of competency, relevancy, and materiality, with special emphasis on the hearsay rule and its exceptions. The content will include the role of evidence in striking a theoretical balance between the defendant and the state in the pre-trial and trial adversary process. Prerequisites: CJ 297 and suggest CJ 355.

CJ 355 | Criminal Procedure3 semester hoursThis course is an examination of constitutional criminal procedure related to arrest, search and seizure, and pre-trial and trial processes. Special emphasis will be upon the role of criminal procedure in controlling discretion. A survey of social scientific research related to criminal procedure will be included. The content includes an analysis of the role of procedure in a democratic social order. Government accountability and the control of discretion in light of Bill of Rights guarantees are constant topics. The fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments will be analyzed in some depth . Prerequisite: suggest CJ 297.

CJ 365 | Diversity and the Criminal Justice System3 semester hoursThis course explores relationships between society and the criminal justice system. Particular attention is given to both past and contemporary relationships between the criminal justice system and historically marginalized groups (e .g ., based upon race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation). Issues of dissent and divergent perspectives on the role of the criminal justice system will be explored. The changing policies and practices of criminal justice agencies in a diverse and democratic culture will also be examined.

CJ 372 | Drugs and Crime3 semester hoursThis is a course which focuses on the relationship between legal and illegal drugs and crime. This includes an examination of different perspectives on drug use and an examination of the historical characterization of legal and illegal drugs. Students will also examine how illegal drugs, legal and illegal drug use and crime are correlated. The extent of drug use, including types of drugs and patterns of drug use within the constructs of criminal offending will also be covered in the course. Students will also learn about the enforcement of drugs and the control of drug users including correctional programs offered within the criminal justice system, specifically for drug offenders and drug users.

CJ 390 Special Topics in Criminal Justice3 semester hoursThis course provides the opportunity for a study of a significant topic, problem, or issue in criminal justice. This course may be repeated once for credit when content varies.

CJ 410 | Senior Thesis3 semester hoursThis course is a study of select and highly contemporary criminal justice issues. The course format allows students to draw upon and integrate knowledge gained from previous courses and apply it in an area of individual, intensive research. The content will vary. Prerequisites: CJ 154, CJ 302 .

CJ 420 | Victims of Crime3 semester hoursThis course focuses on the study of crime victims including the types, extent, patterns and consequences of victimization. This will include an introduction to victimology and the victim right’s movement. Students will learn about the role(s) of the victim in the criminal justice process and policies and programs designed to address the needs of crime victims. This will include a focus on local victim service agencies. Special attention will be paid to “special classes” of victims including victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and hate crimes.

CJ 422 | Women and Crime3 semester hoursThis course is the study of women as criminal offenders, victims of crime, and workers in the criminal justice system. The course content will include an examination of female offending patterns and explanations for those offending patterns, along with an examination of the treatment of female offenders and female crime victims by the criminal justice system. The course will also focus on women as criminal justice professionals working in law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.

CJ 426 | Media and Crime3 semester hoursThis course will focus on the interrelationships among media, crime, and the criminal justice system. Particular attention will be given to the construction of crime in the news and entertainment media, and how those constructions affect citizens’ perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system. Policy and legal implications of these perceptions will also be considered.

CJ 428 | Internship3-6 semester hoursThis is an academically oriented practical experience gained through supervised work assignments with various governmental and private criminal justice-related agencies. The student will have the opportunity to contrast theory and practice. The internship is open to criminal justice majors of junior or senior status and with the consent of the internship coordinator. A student may enroll in and complete a maximum of six (6) semester hours for CJ 428 although only three (3) semester hours may be counted toward the major. Applications for summer and fall semesters must be submitted to the department by February 15th. Applications for winter and spring semesters must be submitted to the department by September 15th. Prerequisites: CJ 112, junior or senior in good standing, approved application, and consent of the internship coordinator.

CJ 445 | Independent StudyCredit arrangedIndependent study courses are specially designed by the student and the instructor. This allows criminal justice majors to pursue research and/or study of a specific area of interest in criminal justice. Prerequisite: instructor permission.